Sunday, January 23, 2005

So that's what real sushi tastes like...

Today, after going to mass (OK, mom?), I went out with Lauren, Kate, and Jessie on a trip to Georgetown on a shopping excursion. It was good fun, especially just watching the girls be themselves. It was so funny when, while we were waiting for the bus, they huddled next to an office window between two pillars to escape the wind. Yeah, I got a picture.

I read somewhere on a historical marker or something that Georgetown was started in the 18th century and named for King George II and became... I stopped reading at that point, too boring.

I picked up a copy of Train's live album "Alive at Last" at a FYE in the mall. Train is a truly great band, as anyone with any sense already knows. It has "Meet Virginia," "Drops of Jupiter," and "Calling all Angels" on it, which are three of my most favorite songs on this earth. It also has "When I look to the sky," a song of theirs I hadn't heard before, and that I now love very, very much.

But the absolute highlight of the day was when Lauren got me to eat lunch at a sushi bar with her. I had ice water and a cheap platter of sushi and tempura (fried stuff), and she had a mountain of sushi. Believe me, that girl loves her raw fish.

It comes on little platters, and your only option is to use chopsticks. I used to be awesome with chopsticks. I mean, I could pick up anything from a grain of rice to half a chicken with them, but this time around my hands just couldn't get a grip on them. So I fumbled and such throughout the meal, much to my embarrassment.

But still, it was good. I ate sushi with soy sauce and wasabi. That's right, wasabi, that japanese horseradish whose name I've heard so many of my little brother's friends announce for no reason in particular. It came in the form of this thick green paste that you could use as you pleased, and it did pack a wallop. A chunk half the size of a pea made me reach for my glass of water and take a couple gulps.

After a while, we left. It was fun, and I'm glad Lauren got me to do it. We'll have to go there again sometime. I just hope I don't get food poisoning.